We first came across a rumour concerning a redesigned DS at the tail end of last year. Now, in the shadow of the E307 games trade show, the industry speculation machine has been cranked up to 11 and rumours of a DS redesign are doing the rounds again.
According to the fortunately bilingual folks at Portable Video Gamer, the source of the rumour this time is Japanese gaming magazine Gamelabo, which in its latest issue apparently reported that Nintendo is considering yet another redesign for its money-spinning handheld. According to their article, the redesign would feature a larger screen and bigger buttons to help the more senior gamer whose eyesight might not be what it once was.
It certainly sounds plausible, and with Sony rumoured to be announcing a redesign for the PSP at E3, Nintendo may well be looking to parry the competition with a bombshell of its own. Not only that, but the description of what the new handheld will entail also appears to be in keeping with Nintendo's focus on tailoring its games and hardware to entice as broad an array of gamers as possible.
The Game Boy Advance saw two redesigns, the sleeker, sexier GBA SP followed by the ultra compact Micro, with the first improving upon and effectively replacing the former design, with the second one more retuned to suit a specific market. It might make sense therefore for the DS hardware portfolio to follow the same pattern, with the DS Lite refining and replacing the DS Phat, and the next design set to appeal to a specific gaming group.
Whether or not Nintendo chooses to announce something as big as a DS redesign at E3, we would certainly bet our styluses that the DS has not seen its last new hardware yet. Let's hope we have a better idea in three week's time.
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